How did you become a Christian?  When did it happen?  Were there other people who helped you to know Christ? 

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to visit Ethiopia.  The main reason for my visit was to teach a course on St. Paul’s Letters to Timothy and Titus.  The course was intended primarily for young men who are preparing to be pastors in the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia (LCE).  There were seven students in the class. 

When I arrived, I asked each student to share his story.  How did you become a Christian?  When did it happen?  Were there other people who helped you to know Christ? All of them had interesting stories.  One student is the son of the LCE’s one and only pastor.  He didn’t ask to be born into that family, but he was.  And that is how he became a Christian.  Another student was a Sudanese man who came to Ethiopia as a refugee.  His mother and father were not Christian, but he learned about Jesus from his uncle, a man who is now a pastor in the WELS.  That’s how he became a Christian. 

I shared my story, too.  A father who was my seminary professor, who taught me so many ‘big religious words’ and deep truths about the scriptures that I can’t possibly remember all of them.  A mother who led me in my bedtime prayers, prayers that were so foundational to my spiritual development that I can’t possibly forget even one of them.  And that’s how I became a Christian.

All of us told very different stories, but one thing was the same in every one of them.  We were all so grateful to God for the people who helped us to know Christ.

St. Timothy had a story, too.  His father was a Greek who almost certainly did not believe in Jesus.  But Timothy’s mother was a dedicated Christian, and his grandmother was, too.  That’s how Timothy became a Christian.  Paul wrote in his Second Letter to Timothy, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:5,6).

How can we thank God for those who shared the word of God with us?  And how can we honor those who have led us to faith in Christ?  St. Paul tells us how.  ”Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it” (2 Timothy 3:14).

For about two weeks, the students and I studied the word of God in the Letters to Timothy and Titus.  We grew in our understanding of the gospel.  We honed our abilities to share God’s word with others and lead people to Christ.  That’s the best way to thank God for his blessings. 

When people tell their stories and thank God for those who helped them to know Christ, how many people will thank God for you?

Mark Panning lives in Malawi and is the One Africa Team Field Liaison to the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

One Africa Team missionaries Daniel Kroll and Daniel Witte recently visited the country of Cameroon for three busy weeks. They met with several national leaders from both Cameroon and Nigeria at the Baptist Mission Guest House in Douala, Cameroon.

Week One

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a new outreach contact. One Africa Team has been working with them for some time. Missionary Kroll led Bible studies with Pastor Julius Nkwetta, Mr. Rigobert, Mr. Benjamin, Mr. Eloden, and Mr. Jefferson.

In conjunction with Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, One Africa Team offers a Bachelor of Divinity Program to qualifying national pastors. The program enhances the perspective and capabilities of men that have already been through our worker training programs.  Missionary Witte coordinates this program through One Africa Team’s Confessional Lutheran Institute.

Week Two

Pastors Edward Obi and Michael Egar from All Saints Lutheran (Nigeria), Pastors A.P. Udo and Idorenyin Udo from Christ the King, and Pastors Mesue Israel and Ngalame Gervase from the Lutheran Church of Cameroon are the teachers of their respective church bodies’ worker training schools. Together with Missionaries Witte and Kroll, they evaluated a new curriculum before the beginning of the new school year.  Some of these teachers are stepping in front of the classroom for the very first time. One Africa Team missionaries make themselves available to assist with teaching programs and lesson plans. 

One Africa Team missionaries are careful not to plan for their brothers.  As Pastor Israel says, “Our students are Africans. Who knows them better than their fellow Africans?  It’s up to us as teachers to prepare appropriate questions and discussions.”  It’s pretty hard to argue with that.  That kind of ownership will lead to excellent learning at WELS’s West African partners’ worker training schools.

In the midst of this busy week, Missionaries Witte and Kroll had the honor to meet Chief Ndongue, Quillaume. Chief Ndongue was hoping to sell a piece of land to the Lutheran Church of Cameroon.

Week Three

The Seminary instructors from WELS’s Mission partners in Nigeria spent an extra week in Cameroon. They gained firsthand experience with new teaching methods. Missionaries Kroll and Witte introduced Dialogue Education (DE) to these men. They also taught this method to the seven new pastors in the Lutheran Church of Cameroon.  DE is a relatively new method of teaching adults. When participants participate in their own learning, they will assimilate the new ideas more deeply. Pastor Obi expressed his confidence in this new method saying, “It looks like this can really work to teach well.”

Three very busy weeks in Cameroon – what an opportunity and a blessing to serve the Lord in this way.  One Africa Team missionaries continue to support WELS’s Mission partners in West Africa through the internet. However, nothing builds relationships better than a few weeks of face-to-face busyness!

Missionary Dan Kroll lives in Malawi and serves as the One Africa Team liaison to West Africa.

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa

…correctly handling the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15 EHV

For six days, over 30 men of varied theological and educational backgrounds came together as congregational shepherds of the Obadiah Lutheran Synod (OLS) in Uganda. What brought them together was a united confession faith adhering to the Lutheran Confessions, and a commitment to handle the word of God carefully.

In the past year, the OLS has been sharing its confession of faith with many people and throughout the country of Uganda. In response, many individuals, and groups are eager to be part of a church that focuses on the word of God.

However, as a young church body, it does not have a traditional worker training program and if it did, it would take years to prepare enough preachers to serve all the congregations. Therefore, the OLS has realized that it needs to equip and train the elders and leaders of the congregations in a way that will allow them to continue to serve as they learn.

With this goal in mind, the OLS has asked the One Africa Team (OAT) of WELS World Missions to host workshops that will train the leaders of local congregations to be better equipped to handle the word of truth carefully and share it with their congregations.

Therefore, from August 29 to September 3, Rev. Howard Mohlke of the OAT with the few Pastors of the OLS presented a workshop on basic Bible interpretation, and basic devotion/sermon preparation. The main objective of the workshop was to ensure that all participants could read the Bible and recognize the difference between what God asks us to do, law, and what he has done for us, the gospel. A second objective was that church leaders faithfully share that truth in a clear and simple manner.

Additionally, copies of a Catechism Sermon book, developed in Africa and available through Multi-language Publications were distributed to all the participants. The last two days were used to learn how to use the sermon book for personal and public study and preaching.

Over the week, the progress was evident. As the days went by, the preaching of “what God has done for us” to comfort and motivate became clearer. As a result, the temptation to preach a legalistic message faded away.

After each message was shared with the group, the group would then give feedback. That feedback always began with the simple question, “what the gospel proclaimed?” It was then followed by, “what specific promise of God was proclaimed?” It was encouraging to see such honest feedback given in such an encouraging way. No one was criticized but all criticism was given to help one another improve in their presentation of the gospel.

Little by little, Rev. Mohlke’s participation became less, as the experienced pastors and leaders of the OLS led the training and review. This to was done on purpose, so that such training could continue in the OLS without the need for an OAT missionary.

Overall, the workshop in Uganda is a great example of the work of the WELS World Missions One Africa Team. The need for such a workshop was identified by the leadership of the OLS. The workshop focused on the development of word ministry through the art of shepherding. Then finally, the knowledge and skills shared at the workshop will immediately benefit the ministries of OLS congregations.

In this way, the OAT carries out its mission of working with partners in Africa to teach the scriptures, gather the lost, and shepherd God’s people.

Missionary Howard Mohlke is the Leader of One Africa Team and lives in Zambia

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts at https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa